Around your house 6/20/07

It can shadow a sunny day if your dog keeps getting into trouble in the yard, tipping over his bowl or tangling his chain. Solutions are easy. First, to keep bowls from tipping over outdoors, use angel-food cake pans, putting the raised center hole over a stake in the ground. Second, when a pup runs around in circles, over and over, a simple pivoting tether can solve the problem. Remove the wheel of a plate-type ball-bearing caster by cutting the axle with a hacksaw. Drive a 4-by-4 post firmly into the ground and screw the plate onto it. Use a bolt the size of the axle, through one side of the caster and a link in the chain, and secure it with a nut on the other side. It'll keep him running free -- and no crying from the yard.

-- AP

Termites love wet soil. Even better, they love it when the soil surrounding the foundation comes into contact with any part of the wooden structure of your home. Wood, paper and other cellulose-based materials are premium fodder for feeding termites. The bad thing about piling soil up against the house is that the termite population can travel, undetected, into their favorite food source -- your wood frame. Reduce the onslaught of termites by grading soil so that surface water sheds away from your home reducing watering so that water doesn't pond or soak the soil and keeping soil at least 6 inches away from any of the wood parts of your home. You may not be able to see the wood that resides behind a plaster wall. So, to be sure, keep soil at least 6 inches away from the bottom edge of the plaster. If you aren't sure, ask someone who knows -- a termite contractor, a home inspector or a local building official. Use caution when working with the soil in your garden and not only will your plants love you, but your home will too.

-- AP

Renovate strawberries after harvest. Mow the rows; thin out excess plants; remove weeds; fertilize and apply a mulch for weed control. Summer fruiting raspberries are ripening now. Begin control for apple maggot flies. Red painted balls that have been coated with tanglefoot may be hung in apple trees to trap egg-laying females. Spray trunks of peach trees and other stone fruits for peach tree borers. Prune and train young fruit trees to eliminate poorly positioned branches and to establish proper crotch angles. Control corn earworms. Apply several drops of mineral oil every three to seven days once silks appear. Sprays of B.T. are also effective. To maximize top growth on asparagus, apply 2 pounds of 12-12-12 fertilizer per l00 square foot, water well and renew mulches to conserve moisture.

-- mobot.org